BREN GUNS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 August 1940, Page 7

BREN GUNS

MANUFACTURE IN AUSTRALIA SERIOUS DELAYS EXTENDING OVER YEARS DIFFICULTY IN GETTING PLANS FROM BRITAIN. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY. August 16. A revelation by the Prime Minister, Mr Menzies, that much of the data supplied from Britain for the manufacture of Beaufort bombers in Australia proved unreliable, necessitating a vast amount of checking, is believed by defence experts to give a clue to the reasons for much of the delay that has occurred in making Bren guns.

A Federal Minister announced a few weeks ago that some of the final drawings of the Bren gun had not yet arrived in Australia. There is reason to believe, however, that everything possible is now being done to remedy the delays of the past four and a half years.

There are clear indications that Australia’s experience in tooling up for the manufacture of Brens, if not precisely parallel with the case of Beauforts. had some similar features.

SThis is specially the case in relation to the supply of tools which, according to original plans, were to be sent from Britain, but which finally, after delays longer than have been permitted in the case of the bombers, have been, or are being made in Australia. Complete Bren guns will not be in production till about the end of this year. Some small arms experts say that Brens will not be turned out in j any quantity, making minimum allowances for “teething troubles,” till about March, 1941. At the earliest, this will be .about four years and a half from the time the Government first decided to manufacture the gun. A START IN 1936. The Commonwealth Government decided on May 13, 1936, to send the manager of the Small Arms Factory, Mr A. S. Ford, to England, to study the production of the Bren gun. Mr Ford went to England in July, 1936, and returned in October. 1937. The following month two other experts, Messrs

J. Finley and W. J. Cargill went to England for more than 12 months, and studied in detail the processes of the Bren gun. In the annual report of the Munitions Supply Board for the period end- ■ ed June. 1937 (it was the first report I for two years), it was stated that plans for a new building to house the I Bren factory were completed, and that “when approval was secured an early I start could be arranged." The factory, I a three-story building, estimated to I cost £63.500. had reached an advanced stage by June, 1938. and work had beI gun for the provision of a new tool- ! room, the previous one being out of I dale. Many Bren components have I already been made, some in large quantities, but vital parts are still neI cessary for the assembly of complete guns. The delay in getting the necessary drawings and blue-prints, whether it was due to factors in Australia or in Britain, tells a story of political and administrative short-sightedness in the past. No one has ever denied the complicated and formidable engineering problems associated with the production of the Bren gun. Even Britain's Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, used to the high degree of precision necessary in large-scale arms manufacture. experienced, considerable difficulties in the production of this Czechoslovakian weapon. It has 160 major components and one component alone needs more than 530 machine operations, and the tools needed for full production number about 50.000, UNEXPLAINED RELUCTANCE The difficulty in Australia, however, appears to have been an unexplained reluctance on the part of the British! authorities to send out complete draw-j Ings for the production of the Bren,; coupled with failure by the Common-’ wealth authorities to apply immediate pressure to overcome that British hesitancy. It is authoritatively suggested that the earlier plans provided for the supply from Britain of vital tools, gauges, and equipment which subsequently were so urgently needed for j Britain's own production that Australia had to undertake the task of making the equipment. About 17,500 drawings (more than 20.000 arc needed for the complete gun), Were riot received in Australia till last December. The arrival of such a substantial batch of drawings indicated clearly a major change of plans soon after the war began.